Medical News

RSS

Diagnostic imaging gets cardiovascular eye

Imaging has become a heated topic, embroiling cardiologists and more than 20 other medical specialists in a debate about tests selected and who performs and interprets them. In San Francisco on August 11-13, the American College of Cardiology is tackling this tough topic in its first-annual Integrated Cardiovascular Imaging Conference.

2 Aug 2005

Masked hypertension poses hidden hazard

Patients with "masked" hypertension that is not detected by routine office blood pressure measurements appear to have stroke and death rates similar to that of patients with sustained high blood pressure; whereas patients with so-called "white coat" hypertension appear to have no greater risk than people with normal blood pressure, according to a new study in the Aug. 2, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Aug 2005

Signs of atherosclerosis seen in apparently healthy young adults

Young adults who seem to be healthy, but have a clustering of heart disease risks factors known as metabolic syndrome, tend to have signs of thickening of their carotid artery walls, which is an early indication of atherosclerosis, according to a new study in the Aug 2, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Aug 2005

Medicare at 40: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges

As Americans commemorate Medicare's 40th Anniversary, AARP's Public Policy Institute (PPI) has released the report, "Medicare at 40," which examines the program's successes as well as the challenges that lie ahead. It found that Medicare has largely accomplished its original goals of ensuring access to care and establishing financial protections for medical costs.

2 Aug 2005

Evaluation of sexual abuse in children takes special skills

More than 88,000 children in the United States were confirmed victims of sexual abuse in 2002. Studies have suggested that each year approximately one percent of children experience some form of sexual abuse, resulting in the sexual victimization of 12 to 25 percent of girls and 8 to 10 percent of boys by 18 years of age.

2 Aug 2005

So you thought you liked strawberry ice cream!

It may be possible to talk a dieter into hating strawberry ice cream, but it may be impossible to help people lose their cravings for more popular snacks such as chocolate chip cookies.

2 Aug 2005

Single hit of meth damages fetal development in mice

Canadian scientists have found from animal experiments, that just one single exposure to methamphetamine during fetal development induces DNA damage in the brain and increases the risk of long-term abnormal motor development.

2 Aug 2005

After a caesarean, women are less likely to have another baby

Researchers have found, after carrying out a 17-year study following 25,370 women, that women who have their baby by caesarean section, are less likely to have another pregnancy.

2 Aug 2005

Smoking during pregnancy linked to childrens' anti-social behaviour

It has been well documented that smoking during pregnancy can harm the developing baby, but now, according to researchers, women who smoke during pregnancy may increase the risk of their child displaying anti-social behaviour.

2 Aug 2005

Swine flu figures rise as China gets tough

As the numbers rise from the swine flu outbreak, China authorities swear they will punish officials who falsify or delay reports on the deadly disease that has now infected 198 people and killed 36.

2 Aug 2005

Teen binge drinking out of control

Apparently teenagers in the UK have one of the highest rates of binge drinking in Europe.

2 Aug 2005

Bioheart granted patent for inducing angiogenesis by electrical stimulation

Bioheart has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued the company a notice of allowance regarding its patent application 09/858,046, entitled Method For Inducing Angiogenesis By Electrical Stimulation of Muscles.

2 Aug 2005

Customized gene chip will offer clues to prognosis in cases of neuroblastoma

Genetics researchers have developed a customized gene chip to rapidly scan tumor samples for specific DNA changes that offer clues to prognosis in cases of neuroblastoma, a common form of children's cancer.

2 Aug 2005

What caused leprosy?

What caused leprosy - a widely dreaded disease in medieval Europe - to fade from the scene? By the 16th century, the scourge had practically disappeared there.

2 Aug 2005

Communication from physicians and health care teams needs to improve to meet patient's needs

Researchers report in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings that more than one-half of their study patients were unable to list their medications, diagnoses, treatment plan (names and purposes of medications) and common side effects of prescribed medications.

2 Aug 2005

Discovery may lead to new therapies for leukemia

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that a protein called NF-Ya activates several genes known to regulate the development of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), or blood-producing stem cells, in bone marrow.

2 Aug 2005

Omega-6 fatty acids promote the growth of prostate tumor cells in the laboratory

A study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) has demonstrated that omega-6 fatty acids such as the fat found in corn oil promote the growth of prostate tumor cells in the laboratory.

2 Aug 2005

Potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs as a treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers investigating anecdotal evidence that cannabis relieves some of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have discovered a potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs for treatment of the disease.

2 Aug 2005

Aging profile of the human brain differs greatly from that seen in chimpanzees

Researchers have found that the two primary areas of the human brain appear to age in radically different ways: The cortex used in higher-level thought undergoes more extensive changes with age than the cerebellum, which regulates basic processes such as heartbeat, breathing and balance.

2 Aug 2005

Study finds risk of death increases with peritoneal dialysis over hemodialysis

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that in people with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD), choosing peritoneal dialysis over hemodialysis increases their risk of dying by 50 percent.

2 Aug 2005